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by 18lzytwner



Series: Law & Order SVU First Series [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2019-07-05 16:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15867624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Olivia thought she was over him, then a case comes that drags everything she buried back. Just when she thinks her life has completely gone downhill, something pulls her even deeper into the hole of despair. There's only one man who can pull her out and he has her number. My first SVU story. Be gentle.





	1. Chapter 1

Rain fell relentlessly from the New York City sky, as Detectives Odafin Tutuola and Amanda Rollins rolled up in their standard issue police car at the crime scene.

"Crappy night to be doing this," Fin shook his head.

"Isn't every time we get a call crappy?" Rollins replied. She'd been in a mood for days now and her partner was fairly certain it had something to do with the return of her sister.

"I've been doing this too long," Fin muttered as they exited the car and went inside the residence where the crime had been discovered.

"Hope you brought your booties," Warner said to them just as they got out of the rain and bumped into her in the front hallway of the home.

"That bad huh?" Fin asked.

"Oh it's pretty bad," the coroner told them, pointing to around the corner of the hallway and disappearing back out to the coroner's van for the guys to bring in the gurney. Rollins swallowed hard as they moved into the space and the smell that invaded their nostrils made her want to vomit. No matter how many crime scenes they'd been to, they could never escape that smell, although she had to admit the smell was worse when a body had been laying out in the Georgia sun.

"Been dead awhile, so why are we here?" Fin wanted to know as he swiped a pair of booties from the patrol officer standing nearby.

"My guess is the fact that there is blood everywhere and that her chest is all mangled," Rollins pointed out, swallowing hard again, noticing a lump of flesh that wasn't connected to the poor woman's body anymore.

"There's that," Fin said.

"There's a little more to it than that," a familiar voice came out from one of the other rooms and both Detectives stood up a little straighter as the person entered the living room.

"Captain, you making house calls?" Fin asked.

"I do when they involve one of my own," the Captain handed over a card inside an evidence bag that he held in his gloved hand and Rollins took a look at it.

"Stabler? How old is this card? Where did forensics find it?" She asked, wondering how it came to be in the victim's possession since his sudden exit from the force over a year ago, which had given her the opening to join SVU. She heard stories enough to know that the former detective's name didn't get tossed around lightly. It was hard to tell what condition the card should have been in considering it was covered in blood.

"They found it on the kitchen floor in a small blood pool. It looks like the attacker hit her from behind, left her there for a short period of time, and then dragged her into the living room to finish what he started," Cragen told them.

"So she was in the middle of calling him when this happened?" Fin wondered.

"I don't think she got the chance. The phone line has been cut and the victim's cell phone is nowhere to be seen. The cell phone is what led the uni's here in the first place. No one could get a hold of this poor girl and finally they came to do a wellness check on her and they found this," the Captain told them. Both Fin and Rollins looked at each other wondering just how long their Captain had been out at the scene.

"Homicide called me about an hour ago when they found Elliot's card," Cragen explained.

"I don't remember her as a recent victim, so how she ended up with his card, I have no idea," Fin said, changing the subject slightly.

"I don't know either but I know someone who will," Cragen pointed out.

"You can't be serious. She's going to flip her lid," Tutuola shook his head. He'd been more protective of the "she" he mentioned since Elliot's departure although he was sure she would have told him she didn't need it.

"You think she isn't going to find out what you two are working on and go looking herself?" The Captain smirked.

"He makes an excellent point," Rollins said.

"All right, well can we at least get some more information and then have Munch tell her?" Fin wanted to know. He knew better than to get in a certain detective's way especially when it involved her former partner.

"Scared Fin?" Rollins chuckled.

"You should be too. To be partners that long then come to find out from your Captain," he turned to Cragen and said,

"No offense."

"None taken," the Captain smiled knowingly before Fin continued,

"Come to find out that your partner isn't coming back. Make matters worse, he never called her, sent a text, or even wrote a freaking letter. Elliot and I didn't always see eye to eye but I would have thought he'd have handled himself better than that," Tutuola shook his head.

"It sounds like a deal to me; probably better than hearing it from me again anyway. Keep me in the loop," the Captain ordered before leaving the two to work on the case in front of them.

"I guess I never had a partner that long for that to happen to me," Rollins shrugged her shoulders.

"Benson and Stabler were partners a lot longer than most in the department. Not a bad thing but when you get burned, it hurts twice as much. You ever breathe a word of what I'm about to say to you to anyone, I'll deny it," Fin started. Rollins moved closer to him and leaned in so they could have a mostly private conversation.

"I caught her crying in the crib after leaving the umpteenth message to Elliot. She pretended it didn't happen but we both know better," he said.

"After all this time, you really think she's going to be that much of a mess? I mean she is one of the toughest people I know," Rollins was a little skeptical. She remembered their first meeting and it wasn't exactly as though the senior detective had rolled out the welcome mat. Granted Nick took the brunt of it but still.

"Liv has always pushed her feelings inward. There are only two people who could get her to loosen up and one of them was Elliot. Now we got work to do," Fin told her. His partner nodded and they quickly got back to work; both secretly wondering if that piece of evidence just should have stayed with Homicide division.

Munch had filled her in the next morning and to everyone's shock, she seemed to take it well. That hadn't entirely been the case as she was upset but acted as though she wasn't; she was good at that, she always had been. She thought she'd finally given up on him. She thought that her life was finally finding some sort of new normal but just like that he was back in her life. All the anger, hurt, and disappointment flooded back and it was if today was the day she'd found out he wasn't coming back. To his credit, her new partner Nick offered to handle this for her. Not to imply that she couldn't handle it but in an effort to help her make sure she kept her distance. Both of their personal lives were a mess and they both knew it despite not openly talking about it.

She drove over to the address which the department last had. She didn't even know why she looked it up. After all, she'd been there plenty of times. Still as she pulled up out front, she wasn't sure what to expect.

Getting out of the car and heading for the door, she fully expected Kathy to open it upon seeing her coming and scream at her to stay away. After all, with Elliot's retirement, she'd finally get him all to herself. However that didn't happen and she took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Hey there little man, where are your parents?" She asked when little Elliot Jr. answered the door.

"Eli! What are you doing?" Kathy called out from the other room. He stood there as if he was in big trouble and Olivia smiled. For only being almost five, she could see that he would look a lot like his dad.

"He just opened the door for me. I don't want to intrude but I need to borrow Elliot, just for a minute," Olivia explained, not even crossing the threshold.

"Olivia? Come in," Kathy smiled slightly as she came to the door. The house seemed incredibly quiet but it was immaculate.  _Of course the older kids must be out of the house by now_ , Liv thought to herself.

"Thanks. Like I said, I just need to borrow Elliot for a second, and then I'll be on my way," she told her.

"Eli, why don't you go up to your room and play?" Kathy asked. The little guy smiled and ran off upstairs.

"I thought he'd be in school by now," Olivia commented as they took two seats at the kitchen table.

"He is. He had a fever this morning and we just got back from the doctor's. Why did you come here?" The question wasn't completely out of the ordinary but after being a detective for as long as Benson had been she knew something was up.

"Something on a case. I can't really get into it," Olivia responded.

"Elliot isn't on the force anymore. How is he privy to it?" Kathy wanted to know.

"It involves one of our old cases and I can't find his notes," Benson lied through her teeth, feeling the tension in the room go up.

"Well he took all his files when he moved out," Kathy dropped the bomb and Olivia didn't hide her surprise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't have bothered you," Olivia immediately stood up.

"You really didn't know. I guess that was one more thing Elliot forgot to do when he left. I heard all those messages you left him. I figured he told you that we got a divorce," the former Mrs. Stabler said, standing as well. She was obviously bitter despite the fact the relationship had been on the rocks before little Eli had come along. His birth had made things better but obviously not better enough.

"I have not spoken to Elliot in over a year. He never returned my messages. You assumed he just came to me after you guys broke up? You know that he would never cheat on you and I wouldn't let him, even if he tried. He never tried. I know you think we were sleeping together but we weren't. Even when you two had separated before we didn't. The feelings we shared were simply ones that every partnership has. You aren't partners for as long as we were without having strong protective feelings for each other," the insinuation angered Olivia; despite the fact she knew the feelings she had were much more than the typical partnership feelings.

"Here is his new address," Kathy grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote it down before handing it to Olivia. She gave a curt thank you and quickly left the home.

Driving not too far away to an apartment building, Olivia began to wonder if she should have waited until later. He could be out working. Despite the sizeable pension he would be getting from his retirement, it probably wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of child support and alimony. Still she knocked on the door to apartment three-bee and waited for an answer. To her surprise, the door opened.

"Liv?" Elliot couldn't believe she was standing on the other side of his door. It looked as though he hadn't shaved in a week and his usually very muscular frame seemed to have been toned down a lot. The past year had not been kind to him.

"We need to talk," she said, all business.

"Sure. I just put on a pot of coffee," he said. He led her through the living room which was sparse but immaculate into the kitchen which had a certain amount of charm from the golden tone of paint on the wall. She never figured him for a yellow paint kind of guy but it was obvious from the smell and the open windows, he'd been painting.

"What's going on?" He asked the question was simple enough but it obviously struck a nerve as her response was,

"How can you be so cavalier?"

"I…"

"You go from not even having the balls to tell me you're leaving the force to divorcing your wife to not telling the department you moved to just asking 'what is going on' ?" She spewed; this close to hauling off and popping him in the nose.

"I have a lot to answer for but my guess is that the Captain wouldn't want to be paying you for sitting here asking me about my troubles," Elliot replied as he took a seat on the stool he had for his kitchen bar. He offered her a seat on the stool next to him but she didn't take it.

"No, he wouldn't. We found a body that had your card. Her name has never come up before, she never even had a parking ticket but yet she has your card. Can you explain that?" Olivia wanted to know as she handed him the woman's information. He looked over the information and shook his head.

"I have no idea who this woman is. Maybe a friend gave her my card," he said, handing back the information.

"I'll let Fin and Rollins know," Olivia nodded her tone hadn't softened a bit.

"We need to talk Liv. We really do," Elliot started.

"Not now. I'm not sure I can handle it right now. Besides I'm working a case," with that she left the apartment, slamming the door as she went. Elliot heaved a sigh and stood back up. He deserved it. He deserved her anger. He had been so screwed up he just let everyone down. Now that it was over and he'd seen her again everything he tried to bury had resurfaced. Forgetting his painting, he went to clean up and head for the gym. He hadn't been in a long time but it was one place he could clear his mind. There was so much to say, he just needed something to help him focus on how to say it. Besides there was another stop he had to make after the gym.

"You want me to kick his ass?" The question came out of nowhere and Olivia turned around from her seat at her desk.

"I'll help," Nick spoke up, looking up from his paperwork.

"I don't know if you noticed but I didn't get this badge by being soft," she smirked.

"Didn't say you were soft, just offering as a friend," Tutuola said.

"Well I appreciate it boys but no thanks. I think a nice quiet night on the sofa with a bottle of wine will do just fine," Olivia smiled slightly.

"Sounds like fun but I think I got something on Lacie Johnson y'all should take a look at," Rollins said as she went up to the board where they had the pictures of the crime scene stuck up.

"Do tell," Munch said.

"Well turns out she had the name of a previous victim in her phone book, a Justine Rivers. Obviously before my time but it looks like Justine may have given Stabler's card to Lacie," Amanda explained.

"That certainly does give us a connection but something still seems off. Why give your friend a card that you probably threw out when your case was over?" Nick wanted to know.

"I was having the same thought. Something weird is going on here," Munch shook his head.

"Munch, my office," the Captain called out and quickly the Sergeant headed for the office.

"What was that all about?" Fin wondered.

"Why don't we bring in Justine and then we can go from there? I mean there happens to be a common link besides the card. There was a name in Lacie's address book which popped when I put it into the system and the address on his parole record is the same as Justine's, a Timothy Bronner," Rollins said.

"Bring them both in. I'm beginning to like less and less where this is headed," Olivia stood from her desk and headed for the board. She'd been quiet the whole time and no one had said anything but somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she could not remember Justine Rivers. Not all their cases had been memorable, in fact most you tried to forget, but it bothered her just the same.

"Shouldn't we wait for the DNA? I mean this guy thinks we're onto him and he's gone," Fin pointed out.

"You think he'd be stupid enough to leave behind DNA? I mean this last stint at Rikers wasn't exactly his first rodeo," Nick pointed out. Just then Olivia's desk phone rang and she quickly picked it up without looking at the number.

"Benson," Fin took a look at her as her expression changed to one he was all too familiar with, pain. Her color took a turn for the worse and he quickly stood up and went to her.

"What is it?" He asked when she got off the phone.

"I have to go," was all she said and she took off toward the locker room.

"That can't be good," Nick stood up and was about to follow her when Munch exited Cragen's office. He had a sour look on his face.

"That can't be good either," Fin shook his head. Then as they all were waiting for Munch to say something Olivia left the locker room and headed for the elevators. They all watched her go before turning back to Munch.

"Spill it," Fin said.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia sat in a daze, next to the hospital bed. Calvin had been coming in for a visit this weekend and his grandparents had been heading to the precinct early to surprise her when they'd been hit by a pickup truck that had run the red light. Calvin's grandmother was dead, his grandfather was in a coma, and now Calvin lay unconscious in his own bed. She wasn't family so the nurse wouldn't give her any details. The only reason she got a call at all was because the paramedic who had been on the scene and had treated the grandfather on the way to hospital, heard him utter her name. Having dealt with a detective by that name more than once, he took a stab at calling the precinct, and was right on the money.

As the thought crossed her mind, the bitterness of the situation replayed itself in her mind. Calvin shouting her name as they basically dragged him away, had never left her, it just boiled beneath the surface for a long while, until his grandparents had been more than nice enough to allow him to visit her. Now she didn't hold back anything and cried.

She didn't hear the knock on the door nor did she notice the footsteps coming toward her until a hand touched her shoulder.

"Detective Olivia Benson? I'm Detective Rebecca Holland from Homicide," the voice broke her from her tears and she quickly wiped them away. Looking up, she saw a female detective, wearing a brown pant suit and tan jacket. Her badge was on her waist and her brown hair was back in a ponytail.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I'm surprised to see an SVU detective here. How do you know Calvin?" Holland wasn't speaking loudly but the silence in the room, barring the machines that Calvin was hooked into, made it sound loud.

"I was his legal guardian for a little while before his grandparents were found," she told the detective, without getting into too many details.

"Then do you mind if I fill you in outside?" Rebecca asked. Olivia shook her head no and quickly gave Calvin's hand a squeeze.

"I'll be right back," she promised and they quickly went out into the hall.

"Do you know what happened?" Olivia wanted to know.

"You look like you could use a cup of coffee. My guess is that the meaning of the words 'rough day' don't even scratch the surface," Holland said.

"That obvious?" Benson shook her head.

"No, it's just that legal guardian seems like such a formal term," the Homicide detective smiled. Olivia chuckled and the two headed over to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee.

"I think the stuff at the precinct is better," Rebecca gagged on the coffee as they sat down at a table, away from anyone else.

"What precinct are you out of?" Olivia joked; glad for the warm liquid going down her raw throat. It hurt and tasted like hell but it made her focus. Holland laughed before getting down to business.

"I'm guessing you know why, I'm here," she said.

"The paramedic only told me that someone had run the red light, that Calvin's grandmother was dead, and that his grandfather was in a coma," Benson admitted.

"Well his grandfather passed fifteen minutes ago. I've got a double vehicular homicide on my hands and hopefully it doesn't become a triple," Holland filled her in.

"They were coming to visit me," the guilt that filled her was immediate.

"Hey, this wasn't your fault. You know that. The guy behind the wheel of the pickup was drunk at two o'clock in the afternoon," the detective said.

"Now he's all alone again," Olivia shook her head.

"He's got you. When I call Children's Services to update them on the situation, I hardly think releasing him to your custody until someone can be found and notified would be a bad thing," Rebecca told her.

"I'm not sure finding his mother would be such a good thing. Very long story but she basically signed Calvin over to me and then went on a downward spiral. His father is in prison and his mother the signed custody over to the father's parents when she found out that they would take him. She was mad at me and Calvin has been the one paying for everything. I don't think she realizes what she's done," Benson gritted her teeth.

"Well then definitely better you make decisions than she if any decisions need to be made. His condition is going to be touch and go. The nurse explained that as a result of the accident, his head slammed into the car window. His brain is swollen and it may take him several days to wake up. At which point they'll have to test him and see how much brain damage there is. They promised to keep me up to date but I'll see if Children's Services can rush things along," Holland gave her a wink.

"Thank you for your help," Olivia smiled.

"Not a problem. Now you best get back over there. I've got work to do," Rebecca gave a half-smile and ducked out of the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Munch had finished telling everyone what was going on with their case a while ago and now the group was trying to focus on the task at hand when a very familiar face walked into the room.

"The prodigal son returns," Munch joked.

"You have a lot of nerve man," Fin didn't look pleased as he stood up from his chair.

"I know I have a lot of explaining to do but where is Liv?" Elliot asked.

"She bolted about an hour ago. We haven't heard from her but we figured she'd check in when she was ready," Nick stood up and walked over to Stabler. Granted, he and Liv hadn't seen eye to eye all the time but he felt he may need to step in and make it known that he was looking out for his partner.

"Elliot, my office now!" Cragen yelled from his office doorway.

"Some things never change," Munch smirked.

"Cap, will set him straight," Fin nodded.

"Were things always this tense in here?" Rollins asked.

"Worse. You could have cut the sexual tension in here with a knife," Munch chuckled.

"You saying that Benson and Stabler…" Amanda trailed off.

"Elliot was married but the looks they gave each other sometimes. I tell you," John's classic smirk was on his face. It disappeared when Melinda walked hurriedly into the squad room.

"Where is Olivia?" She asked.

"What are we her babysitters?" Fin wanted to know.

"I just got Calvin's grandparents on my slab," Warner gave him a look.

"What hospital?" Fin asked as he grabbed his coat. Rollins grabbed hers and Nick went for his, while Munch turned off the coffee pot and headed for his.

"Whoa, whoa, where is everybody off too? We have a murder to solve," Cragen asked. Melinda quickly explained and the Captain shook his head.

"Stabler, get over there. The rest of you back to work. The sooner we clear this up the better and then everyone can go," Cragen announced. At first, no one moved.

"Now people," an order was an order and the group tried to get back to work as they wondered if sending Elliot down there was such a good idea.

When Elliot arrived, he found the desk and quickly asked for the nurses' station. Once given directions, he rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time, to the second floor. He stopped at the nurses' desk and the nurse quickly informed him that the patient was not awake and could not answer questions. He just took off for the room without saying thank you and the nurse shook her head.

He opened to the door to Calvin's room and found Olivia curled up in a chair next to the bed. He had a slight smile on his face and did not move to wake her. They had a lot to talk about but there was no point in doing it now. If he had to spend the whole night, he would. There was no one to go home to anyway. Home was wherever Olivia was.

A few hours later, a nurse walked in to check on Calvin and found the two detectives sitting in their respective chairs. Olivia was still asleep but Elliot had his eyes glued to her. She shook her head and whispered to him,

"Visiting hours are over. Unless you are family, you need to go." He nodded and carefully lifted himself out of the chair. Heading over to Olivia, he gently shook her and she slowly opened her eyes. When she realized who it was, she lunged out with a punch. The nurse gave a concerned look as Elliot dodged her fist.

"Whoa there Rocky. We have to leave. Visiting hours are up," he said.

"I have paperwork being sent over from Children's Services," she told him.

"No paperwork yet, so off you go," the nurse didn't want to cause a ruckus which looked like it was about to happen.

"Can I give you my phone number and you'll call me the minute they come through?" Olivia asked.

"Absolutely. Leave the number at the desk. I'll call if anything happens during the night," the nurse promised.

"Thank you," Olivia smiled and the nurse nodded before she shooed them out of the room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked when they had left the room.

"Melinda got Calvin's grandparents on her slab. She came into the precinct and the whole group was going to come down but Cragen told them to stay put. There's a case and all," he said.

"What were you doing at the precinct?" Olivia wanted to know.

"Long story. The cafeteria is closed but there's a diner down the block. Do you want to get some food? When was the last time you ate?" He asked.

"Breakfast I think," she said, her tone had softened slightly but he could tell she was still distant, unsure where to go with things.

"Then dinner is on me. Come on," Elliot said. He grabbed her hand in his, fully expecting she'd pull away but she didn't. They walked to the elevators and quickly headed down to the street and into the little diner. After perusing the menu and having the waitress take their orders, Olivia looked at Elliot with the piercing gaze that had so often been felt from across the desks when they were partners.

"I have a lot of explaining to do, I know. Today has been crazy and I imagine that the next couple of days will continue to be that way so if you don't want to tackle this now, I understand. If you want to tell me that after today, you don't want to see me, I understand. I don't deserve your patience," he said.

"I have one question. Why?" She asked.

"At first, I thought the way I'd been feeling would pass. I thought I'd be able to deal with IAB bringing up all the shootings, I'd been involved with. Then I couldn't sleep. I didn't feel like eating and it got to the point where my biggest meal of the day was the twelve pack of beer I drank to try to get some sleep, right before bed. That twelve pack morphed into an eighteen pack, which became a case. Then beer wasn't working so I started with the heavy stuff. That's when Kathy filed for divorce. I wouldn't try to get help and she didn't want me around Eli. She hoped that I would snap out of it when she handed me the papers but I signed them nine months ago. I knew I wasn't doing anyone any good and I didn't deserve to be around him and be the way I was. Besides, mine and Kathy's relationship was still not on the best of terms," he paused and Olivia said,

"Well Kathy is pretty bitter. When I went to your old place today, she was not happy to see me. She figured you were shacking up with me and that you had been for years. She thought she was getting my sloppy seconds as it were."

"She has full custody of Eli," he blurted out.

"Oh, El…" Olivia quickly grabbed his hand from around his coffee cup.

"I wasn't being a father. I can't blame her but I miss him since I got clean," he admitted.

"Well have you spoken to Kathy? Is she willing to adjust her stance?" She wanted to know.

"That's where things get tricky. They found my card at the scene of the murder because I'm back on the force," Elliot told her. He braced his face for impact, assuming she'd lose it right there. However, it never came and he looked at her for an explanation.

"I figured something was up when I couldn't remember Justine Rivers," she said.

"A case we did in fact work but for all of about five minutes. The guy who did it had his DNA in the system. Munch and Fin picked him up and that was that. I did give Justine my card but I also gave Lacie my card. I don't work Homicide anymore; I work in the Fraud division in the seventeenth precinct," Elliot told her.

"So you said you'd never seen her because…" Olivia was trying to have him finish her sentence.

"Because I couldn't admit I was back on the force. It was part of the deal I worked out with IAB. If I swore off contacting my old unit then they would let me back on the force without digging into my career. I think they figured that if I was in a position to not fire my weapon again then I could be of some use. They actually offered me a position with them but I turned them down," he finished.

"They wanted you to work for them?" She asked.

"It was their first offer as soon as I was cleared in the shooting. Apparently somebody thought they needed to keep closer tabs on me. When I turned them down, they said the only other way to stay on the force would be to join the Fraud division. I had no experience but it basically keeps me strapped to a desk, so they aren't so worried I'll get into trouble. I said I'd have to think about it. So when Kathy filed for divorce, I called them back up. They said Fraud was still open if I finished the required treatment, I never completed. So I got clean and got back to work," Elliot explained.

"I guess I never pictured you behind a desk all day," Olivia said.

"Me neither," he shrugged.

"So you didn't contact me because you didn't want IAB to find out? Since when did you care about what they said?" She wanted to know.

"They fed that bs story to the Captain and everyone was kept in the dark. I've gone undercover a couple of times so the less people know the better. As far as contacting you, I wanted to. You have no idea how hard it was to sit there and listen to your messages without answering. Kathy wanted me to stay away to try and make what we had work. I agreed but to be perfectly honest, there was a reason that didn't work," he said. Just then the waitress dropped off their food and Olivia jumped on it as though she hadn't eaten in days.

"You really need to eat better," he said.

"Yes I do but I don't have you watching out for me now," she replied. He nodded and they ate in relative silence. When it came time for coffee afterwards, Elliot picked things back up.

"What do you intend to do?" He asked.

"Do about what? The fact that my partner is suddenly back in my life? The fact that Calvin is lying in a hospital bed with possible brain damage and the only family he had left dead? The fact that we're having the conversation?" The questions she threw at him, made her sound so unsure of herself, not something that Olivia Benson ever let onto, even if she was feeling it.

"Back up a step. Worry about me later. We can figure out us after Calvin gets better. He's more important than I am. What were you talking about with paperwork at Children's Services?" Elliot asked.

"The detective working the homicides promised to get the paperwork rolling for Children's Services. There is no one here to make a decision for Calvin should something need to be made. Until they find his mother, he's in limbo. It could take days, weeks, even months to find her. No one has heard from her since she dropped into the precinct and took Calvin away," Olivia explained.

"How do you know that?" He wanted to know.

"Calvin's grandparents figured that she'd call, write, or e-mail. They've received nothing. Calvin didn't even get anything on his birthday. I hate to say it but there is probably a good reason she hasn't been in contact," Olivia said.

"You thinking she offed herself?" Elliot wondered.

"Not intentionally but she did go back to everyone's favorite vices, drugs and alcohol," she shrugged.

"Probably didn't recover from what she knew and then what happened to her girlfriend…" Elliot trailed off. Olivia nodded and for a few minutes it was if they had their Stabler/Benson connection back.

"God, I missed this," he said.

"Missed what?" She asked.

"Talking to you. Seeing you. Being partners," he told her.

"It is good to see you El. I wish you had called. You forget my mom was an alcoholic? I could have helped you," she said.

"I didn't want you to see me like that. I was a mess Liv. I couldn't even stand to be around myself, never mind anyone else, especially you. We'd been partners for so long and I've done some questionable things but killing a teenager… I…" he trailed off, the pain in his voice obvious, along with the pain displayed across his face.

"It's all over now. The question is; can we start over? Can we be friends?" Olivia wanted to know. He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his.

"I don't want to be friends again. I need you to be around. I need to see you every day. Liv, I love you," there he'd finally said it. Now all there was to do was wait for her to hit him or walk out. She looked at him with a look he hadn't seen before and she was about to answer him when her phone rang.


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia quickly picked up the call, easily dodging Elliot's admission. She hoped it was the hospital with good news instead she found it was her Captain.

"Liv, how are you holding up?" Cragen asked.

"Hanging in there Cap. I always do," she smiled slightly.

"Don't give me that bs Benson. What is going on with Calvin?" He wanted to know.

"Touch and go right now sir. I'm still waiting on Children's Services before the nurses treat me as family and not an intruder," she replied.

"Well try to get some sleep. You've got the weekend off and I want you to take Monday and Tuesday. You keep us updated and we'll help in any way we can," Cragen told her.

"I appreciate that Cap. Thank you," Olivia said.

"Good. Now hand the phone over to Elliot," he ordered. It was an odd request and she nodded even though he couldn't see it.

"The Captain wants a word," she said, handing the phone to her former partner. He took it with one eye cocked.

"Sir?" He asked.

"I'm only going to say this once so pay attention," Cragen started.

"Yes, sir," Elliot said.

"Good. Now you're going to stay with Olivia through this. IAB already called me to say they know you were here. I've got a snitch somewhere in my office which I do not appreciate but don't worry about IAB. Worry about Olivia. You left her a mess whether she wants to admit it or not and with Calvin in trouble, she's going to need someone to turn to whether she says so or not. Olivia is like a daughter to me and if you do anything to hurt her again, I will pull my weapon out of my drawer and shoot you myself, do you understand?" The Captain laid into him.

"I called them sir. Told them they couldn't stop me from contacting her and said I didn't care if they fired me," Elliot said, the last part of the sentence piqued Olivia's interest. Did he just say what she thought he said?

"That's a good man. My threat is a promise though, you got that?" Cragen asked.

"Yes sir," Stabler replied.

"Good," and with that the call ended and Elliot placed the phone back on the table in front of his former partner.

"What was that about?" Olivia asked.

"Nothing overly important," he smiled.

"Uh huh," she knew he was lying but wasn't going to push it.

"Now I meant what I said, Liv. You don't have to answer me right now. You don't have to answer me at all. I just needed to tell you before anything else happened," Elliot tried to impress upon her, his true feelings. She opened her mouth but again the phone rang. Again she grabbed it and answered,

"Benson."

"Hey, it's Fin. Rollins and I are going to knock off for the night and we wanted to know if you needed anything. Seems Timothy Bronner is in the wind and Justine hasn't seen him for days. She had no clue that Lacie was dead and I think she's on the same path we are," he said.

"Well it turns out Elliot gave Lacie his card because of the investigation he's working with Fraud. So how does Bronner fit into that?" Olivia asked.

"No idea but until somebody finds him, it won't matter. The DNA isn't back and we have no other viable suspects unless Stabler can shed some light on things," Fin shrugged on his end of the line.

"I think we should swing by the precinct. Until Children's Services and Detective Holland come through, I can't do a thing for Calvin," her tone told him she was trying to mask her feelings of not being useful. He'd heard that tone once or twice before. It certainly wasn't common with Olivia.

"You sure? I mean you could go home and try to get some sleep. I have a feeling you aren't going to get much in the next few days," he wanted to be sure that she just wasn't doing it because she didn't want to shut her eyes.

"Absolutely. Murder waits for no one," Olivia told him before disconnecting the call.

"We're going back to the precinct aren't we?" Elliot asked, as he flagged the waitress down for the check.

"Yes we are," was all Olivia said before grabbing her coat as the waitress dropped off the check. Elliot threw enough cash to cover the bill and they headed for his car. The ride toward the precinct was quiet. Neither one said anything until he's shoved the car into park.

"Olivia…" he started but she cut him off.

"El, I…" she paused, as if she was unsure of what to say. He said nothing, waiting her to finish her thought.

"There is something that I have to say but I'm just not sure on how to say it," she finally blurted out after a few very heavy moments of silence.

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere," Elliot smiled, leaned over, and gave her a peck on the cheek. She smiled and they exited the car and headed up to the precinct.

The famous duo rides again," Munch joked as they entered the squad room. Olivia was actually blushing for some reason, like they'd been caught doing something wrong, and Elliot just shook his head.

"So what do you need to know?" He asked as he perched himself on Olivia's desk.

"What were you working on in Fraud that got Lacie killed?" Rollins wondered.

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. The only reason she was even involved in my case was that she was the secretary of the guy, I've been investigating. She'd send me little odd things, she found around the office, where she worked, and told me about strange appointments that her boss had," he shrugged.

"So she was a CI," Nick said.

"Basically. We do things a little different in Fraud. There has to be a lot of breadcrumbs and we can't make leaps like we did here," Elliot told them.

"So what company did she work for and who is this guy?" Fin wanted to know.

"The company is a mom and pop kind of operation for people to go to and have their taxes done, by the name of Taxes 'R' Us. Lacie's boss is a guy by the name of Stewart Mosley. He's maybe a buck fifty soaking wet and is only about five foot six. No way has he done what was done to Lacie. My bet is that someone higher up the food chain is responsible. Our cute little mom and pop tax place is also a front for the Mob," Stabler explained.

"He doesn't sound Italian," Munch joked.

"He isn't. See when his business wasn't doing so well, he went to the local loan shark for some help. Problem was, Stewart couldn't pay back the loan, and the Mob decided what better way to launder money than through a tax place. They hand out those early tax refunds so happens is they cut a check to the person who brings in their taxes. They say that if they are wrong, they'll send a check for the difference. Well they never have to do that. No matter what the refund comes back as, they pocket the whole thing. So there are plenty of times the customer gets cheated out of their return. The extra goes into the Mob's take and then they use it for one of their other operations. It was a small deal, not making much money until they started falsifying tax forms and filing separate tax forms from the "copies" they handed the people who came to them," Elliot said.

"So why aren't the Feds involved?" Fin asked.

"They are. We haven't been on the case in weeks," Stabler shrugged.

"But you think that Mosley caught onto her game and then told someone higher up?" Amanda wondered.

"It wasn't a clean kill so maybe they tortured her first for answers or maybe they just used a sick bastard to do their dirty work," Elliot said, pulling out his phone and placing a quick phone call. Meanwhile, Olivia had been struggling to stay awake during the conversation. Checking her watch, she noted that it was close to eleven o'clock and she'd been up since five thirty. It wasn't that she wasn't used to working long hours but today had been mentally and emotionally exhausting.

"Agent Smith over at the FBI says that he'll stop by the precinct in the morning and give more up to date information. Hopefully that will give you enough to go on and find out who killed Lacie," Stabler said when he got off the phone.

"You better take her home," Rollins smirked slightly at the light snoring coming from Olivia, who had her head down on her desk.

"I guess she was more tired than she let on," Elliot shook his head.

"All right, no coming in tomorrow. Get her home and then get her to the hospital," Fin said.

"Yes, sir," Elliot smirked as he stood up. Nick eyed him and he understood. New partner, new relationship with that partner, but already he was keeping his eye on him.

"Well goodnight kids. Catch you later," Stabler said as he woke Olivia and they headed out of the building.

As soon as they got in the car, Olivia curled up in her seat and went back to sleep. Elliot grimaced wondering if this was one of the few nights she actually slept, not because she need to but because she was so exhausted she had no other choice. He pulled into her building's parking lot and killed the engine. Getting out of the car, he walked to the other side, carefully opened the door, and gently lifted Olivia along with her purse out of the vehicle. Using his right foot, he shut the door and headed for the building.

Finally at her door, he realized that he needed to get her keys. He had his own key but he hadn't brought it with him. Cursing his stupidity, he carefully wound his hand into her purse, where thankfully her keys were on top. Leaning on the door, with the weight of both of their bodies pressed against it, he somehow managed to get the key into the lock and then the lock, unlocked.

Once inside, he closed the door, again with his foot, and then laid her down on the couch. Quickly he locked the door and walked over to the kitchen to flick on a light. Going back over to her he realized that she had barely moved the entire time since getting her into his car and he couldn't believe it as he now needed a shower. He really needed to get back to the gym. She wasn't that heavy and he was obviously out of shape.

"Elliot…" his name was softly spoken; enough that he wasn't even sure he heard it until she mumbled something as she rolled over that sounded like his name. He smirked. She may not be able to say it when she was awake but she was obviously dreaming about him. Knowing she'd get a crick in her back, he slowly scooped her up again and carried her down the hall to her bedroom. Getting her all tucked in, he decided it would be better if he slept on the couch. He didn't want to push it. She would tell him, in her own way, in her own time. After everything that happened, it was as if their partnership of twelve years had been nothing. She had to learn to trust him again and trust was not something Olivia Benson did well. At times she was a tough nut to crack but once she opened up, it didn't take much to get her to close those walls up again. He understood and he would wait, even of that meant until his dying day.


	4. Chapter 4

The hospital had called the next day, saying that Children's Services had agreed to Olivia's temporary custody of Calvin. They wanted an exhaustive search done for his mother before they would start any paperwork relating to permanent custody or even let her file adoption papers. She was upset with their position but she understood. Olivia was in no way a blood relative and they always got custody unless there was a really good reason.

Elliot had driven her to hospital after the call so she could spend the day by Calvin's side hoping he would wake up soon. The progression of the swelling was slow going and Elliot wasn't sure what frustrated him more, the fact that the kid's life had been turned upside down enough as it was or the fact that Olivia got a call from Children's Services later that afternoon, wanting her to come down to their office for a discussion. He knew that custody was always a tricky thing especially with no blood relative around to sign the paperwork but it wasn't as if Olivia didn't know the kid or his background. He'd offered to drive her over there but she didn't want anybody leaving Calvin to wake up alone. She wanted to be able to tell him about his grandparents and not some nurse. They actually lucked out as Detective Holland had stopped by and she was more than happy to take Olivia down to the office and give them a piece of her mind as well. Elliot chuckled as they left, not because the situation was funny but because it was obvious this was Holland's first case dealing with a live victim. She'd been through the standard, "I'm sorry for your loss" parts with family members but this was entirely different. Although judging how she was handling it, he figured that she would be a great detective with a long career.

It was now late on Sunday afternoon and the conversation in the room had reached a lull. Olivia had still not said one way or the other about her feelings for him. He had seen the look on her face as one of concentration and he hoped that she was thinking about what he'd said. Of course he had not pushed anything with her. He'd let it go especially after she came back from Children's Services, ready to rip someone a new one. She'd explained to them that there had been no contact in a very long time and the last card that had been sent had been returned. With no valid address or phone number, she would be tough to find, and Children's Services already overtaxed system wasn't about to go looking for her. Instead that had fallen to Olivia who wasn't inclined to go looking. He had told her that he had a friend over in missing persons and that they could file a report but considering that they had no idea where she was last seen or what she was wearing it would have been a long shot anyway. She'd thanked him for the offer and promised, her first day back to work, she would take care of it. A knock on the door interrupted their silence and they looked as the SVU team entered the room.

"You guys crack the case?" Olivia asked.

"Well not exactly. The Feds figured it was part of the fraud case so they took it. Still no word on Timothy Bronner but we'll keep looking. However since he's also on the Feds watch list, we're off for the next couple of days until a case comes along," Fin explained.

"Oh well I guess that works out. The Feds charge would carry more weight once attached to their case anyway," Elliot shrugged.

"Yeah well they promise if they find it was for some other reason, they'll dump it back in our laps," Rollins rolled her eyes.

"Always a pleasure doing business with the Feds," Munch joked.

"I seem to remember Elliot getting hurt a lot when we dealt with them," Olivia was suppressing a laugh after Elliot gave her a look.

"Good times, good times," Fin joked and then he changed the subject,

"How's Calvin doing?"

"The swelling isn't down enough yet to tell. The doctors' hope by tomorrow afternoon, that he'll come around but they aren't promising anything," Olivia sighed.

"Well we came by to see how you were doing and if you needed anything," Nick spoke up.

"Well that's sweet but to be honest, I'm not sure there is anything at this point," Olivia shrugged.

"What's he going to do for clothes?" Rollins asked.

"Well I figured I'd take him shopping. That avoids the whole going to his grandparents' place to pick things up. I mean they rescued his suitcase from the accident but that only gives him clothes for three days," she said.

"We can go get stuff," Fin offered.

"Yeah, we have tomorrow off," Rollins smiled.

"That's sweet but you don't have to. I have no idea what he likes or doesn't like as far as clothes. The last few times I've seen him he's always had different types of things and his grandmother was always telling me that he was trying to fit in with the kids at his school," Olivia admitted.

"Then we do things the easy way and drive up to their place and snag some stuff out of his closet. I'll bet the super won't have any problems letting two of the City's Finest into the apartment," Fin smirked.

"I really…" Olivia started.

"Sounds like a plan. Now how is the food at your place? I saw you eating take out for lunch the last few days…" Nick started.

"I've got the food thing covered. Fridge was empty as usual," Elliot chuckled. Benson flung the pillow she'd been sleeping on at him and everyone got a chuckle out of that.

"Well the kid needs school supplies and I know just the place to get them. Knowing you, you already have a list," Nick said.

"I do and I figured we'd pick them up when we went clothes shopping," Olivia admitted.

"I'll do that. Can't have him feeling too out of place at school," Nick smiled.

"Guys, really, I…" she started.

"Let us help you Olivia," the Captain wasn't exactly stern but she knew that tone.

"Yeah besides I'm betting your place, really isn't big enough for two people, is it?" Munch asked.

"I sleep on the couch and he takes my room when he comes for a visit. It's not a big deal," she told them.

"I'll get the classifieds. Time to find you a bigger place," John smirked. Olivia just shook her head. No matter what she tried to do, she couldn't talk them out of it.

"Well then you have to at least let me buy you guys a round or two at the bar," she said.

"Free beer, sounds good to me," Fin winked.

"Yeah, sign me up," Rollins winked. Olivia stood and gave everyone a hug.

"I just don't know what to say guys," she admitted.

"Make sure he comes by the precinct every once in a while and I think that'll cover it. If he feels that he's got family then I think everything will be just fine," Cragen smiled.

"Not a problem," she smiled back.

"All right people, you have your assignments," the Captain smirked and the group quickly said their goodbyes.

"That is what you call family," Elliot smirked.

"One I could not do without," Olivia smiled slightly before continuing,

"It's just so overwhelming."

"You were never alone Liv," Elliot winked.

"I won't be ever again," she smiled as she got up and walked over to him. His mind was going nuts with the possibilities of what she was about to do when she bent over and picked her pillow up.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday rolled on and still no signs of Calvin waking up. By now both Elliot and Olivia were way beyond frustrated. Not because of Calvin but because of the phone calls that Olivia had been dealing with. The school called and said that as soon as Calvin was ready to go to school he could but since he had started at a different school at the start of the year, he'd have to test to see what grade level he belonged in. Olivia had protested saying that all public schools in the city ran on roughly the same schedule and there was no way that he'd be in a different grade. Still the principal explained that with the possibility of brain trauma she would need to have him tested, despite the tests the hospital was going to run.

The next phone call had been from Children's Services again. They wanted to see Olivia's apartment before Calvin could go home with her. Despite the fact that it was fine before, now they wanted to be sure. Of course it was too small and Olivia wasn't going to be able to move before Calvin was released so she fought on the phone with them for an hour explaining the situation. Elliot wanted to speak up and say that she could move into his place but he felt it a bit presumptuous. After all, it wasn't a three bedroom, it was a two bedroom, and as much as he wanted her to share his bed, she hadn't even shared her feelings yet, so slow and steady was the name of the game.

"You know I wish I could just pull out my gun and shoot them," she shook her head after getting off the phone.

"Then you'd have to fill out all that paperwork. It wouldn't be worth it," Elliot teased. She laughed slightly and gave a smile.

"Why don't I get us some coffee? It'll hold us over until dinner," he suggested.

"Sounds fantastic," Olivia said. He nodded and left the room heading for the cafeteria. As he waited at the elevators, he suddenly realized the thought that had just passed through his head only minutes before. Was he ready for her to move in and bring Calvin with her? His brain jumped and said yes. He was a family man, always had been. Calvin had no father available to him for most of his life and he wouldn't be getting his father back anytime soon after he went upstate. Olivia was ready to take him in without any questions. Granted at first it had been a shock when they discovered his mother had signed him over but Olivia never shied away from the responsibility and the two had quickly grown a strong bond. So much so that when they'd taken Calvin away, he knew that she put on a strong face but that she'd fallen apart afterwards. Elliot decided right there that even though Calvin would never be his flesh and blood that if Olivia could adopt him, he would too. They could be a family that way forever and there would be no question as to family. They may not be a traditional family in the sense but they would be a family. Something he realized that neither Olivia nor Calvin really ever had. Before he knew it, he was back at the door. He was about to enter the room when he looked through the glass.

Olivia had crawled into the bed next to Calvin and was now holding him as he cried. He couldn't tell if she'd told him the bad news yet, figuring that whacking the poor kid over the head with it wasn't a good idea but then again he probably asked why they weren't with him. Slowly, carefully, he opened the door with his elbow, set the coffees down on the moveable tray up against the wall, and headed over to them.

"Glad to see you with us," he smiled.

"Detective Stabler," Calvin quickly wiped his tears away.

"He's been keeping me company while I was keeping you company," Olivia smiled.

"Who's been keeping my grandparents company?" He asked. She hadn't told him. The kid had been so happy to see her and so happy to be alive that he cried. Elliot held his breath. He'd done notifications before but this was going to be tough. He started to open his mouth when Olivia spoke up,

"Our friend Doctor Warner has been keeping an eye on them," it wasn't an entire lie but he knew that she probably didn't want to tell him right now.

"Is she taking good care of them? When can I see them?" Calvin asked.

"Oh honey, I…" Olivia started but the words caught in her throat. In all the years of having to do this, she wasn't prepared. She wasn't sure it was possible but she simply wasn't prepared. Calvin looked at her and he got the same look on his face when he'd figured out that his mother wasn't coming back for him.

"I'm very sorry Calvin," Olivia said. He shook his head refusing to believe it. Elliot decided he'd better step in.

"The driver who hit your grandparents' car was drunk. He shouldn't have been driving. We've got him in custody and he's going away for a long time," he told him. Tears started to well up and Olivia carefully pulled him into her lap and tried to comfort him. Elliot gestured with his head he would leave them alone and he quickly went to find the doctor. The sooner Calvin got to Olivia's place the sooner, he'd be in a better frame of mind and no matter what Children's Services said, they would do their best to make him comfortable.

Hours later when Calvin had fallen asleep, Olivia called Children's Services leaving a detailed message explaining that Calvin would be released on Wednesday after the hospital ran the necessary tests on Tuesday. She would make her apartment available to them to look at but it would have been shown to them by her partner, Detective Elliot Stabler, so that she could be with Calvin during the tests. He'd heard her say partner and he smiled. Maybe it was just a slip up or maybe she meant it. After hanging up, she looked at him as he pulled the car into a parking spot outside her building.

"I guess I better get the place cleaned up," she shook her head.

"I'll help. We'll have the place spick and span in no time," he smiled.

"Thanks but you've done enough, El. Why don't you go home and get some rest?" Olivia asked.

"Because I said what I meant. I'm helping," he said as he exited the car. She chuckled slightly and exited before he could open her door.

"Besides I need some more coffee and there isn't a better cup than the one they serve at your place," he chuckled as they walked up to the building and then up to her apartment.

"I'm not even sure if I have any coffee filters left," she laughed as she opened the door and flicked on the lights. She froze in her spot when she saw the apartment had obviously been cleaned and that she knew it hadn't looked that way in the morning.

"Little elves must have known what you were thinking," Elliot chuckled as he closed the door behind them.

"Only one little elf still has a key and he spent the whole day with me," she raised an eyebrow.

"Well not exactly, you see. Before Fin left, I gave him the key so they could drop stuff off at the apartment. According to him, Rollins wouldn't leave until the place was cleaned up. Said something about how the poor kid didn't need the place smelling like old Chinese takeout. You know Fin, always so happy to please, he helped out. I guess Nick pitched in too when he heard what was going on," her partner smirked.

"The place wasn't that messy. I mean I cleaned before this all happened," she said.

"Yeah and then you and I spent late nights eating takeout and falling asleep on the couch without cleaning up," Elliot half smiled.

"Very true. Well since there is nothing to clean, you still want that coffee?" Olivia asked.

"I have a better idea," he pulled her close and decided it was time to tell her what he'd been thinking. She didn't struggle and he smiled.

"This is probably one of the few nights we have alone for a while. Maybe we should make the best of it," he said.

"Oh and just what are you proposing?" She knew but she loved to hear it.

"I…" he never got the words out. Olivia pressed her lips to his.

"So is that the answer I've been looking for?" Elliot asked as she pulled away from him quickly.

"I'll let you figure it out detective," she smiled slightly.

"Oh yeah?" He looked at her as she started walking away down the hall toward the bedroom. The next thing he knew, her shirt was in his face.

"You coming?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am," he smirked and rushed up behind her, grabbing her at the waist and turning her around. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Ma'am?" She asked as she planted her lips on his. This kiss was searing with all the pent up passion, they'd been hanging onto for so many years just released. Finally the need for air outweighed the connection between them.

"I'll call you whatever you want if it means that I get more of that," he said.

"You may regret that. Now come on," she pointed her head toward her room. He smirked and quickly got her down the hall.


	6. Chapter 6

The alarm clock signaled it was time to get up and Olivia rolled over, whacking the button. For some reason she felt exhausted despite actually getting a good night's sleep after the extracurricular activities.

"Morning sunshine," Elliot looked over to her and smiled. She half smiled before quickly climbing out of bed and grabbing her bathrobe.

"Everything ok?" Elliot asked; a little confused as to why she hadn't said anything yet. She smiled again and walked over to his side of the bed.

"What did we just do?" She asked, as she sat down next to him.

"We had mind blowing sex, I would have thought that was pretty obvious," Elliot chuckled.

"I know what we did physically, I just meant, that without much thought we just…" she trailed off.

"Hey, neither one of us is in a relationship and let's face it; I've been in love with you for a long time," Elliot admitted. Olivia blushed slightly and he smiled.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you how I felt but I was never going to get in the way of you and Kathy," she said.

"I wouldn't have expected you to. There's something else though isn't there?" He asked.

"Things are crazy right now. Calvin will be here and even though we've lived together before, he's going to need time to adjust. I have to find a new place to live otherwise Children's Services is going to make my life a living nightmare. Then there's the inevitable search for his mother. Then on top of it all, the man who I've loved for so long wants more than friendship. I want more than friendship but I just don't know what I'm doing," she said.

"What do you mean? You're taking Calvin in and you are so great with kids. The two of you will be fine. Munch is looking for a place for you and as much as I would love to have you come live with me, I know I can't ask that of you. Just because we slept together doesn't mean we have to move in together. If you want to slow things down, we can do that. I've waited fourteen years for you; I can wait a little longer," Elliot told her as he took her hand in his.

"You would want us to come live with you?" Olivia asked, realizing for the first time, but definitely not the last, she said us; us as in more than one person. She'd been only one person for so long, the word seemed foreign.

"Liv, I love you and I want to be there for you and I want to be there for Calvin. I know it might not show but I've had five kids of my own. I may be able to help," he teased slightly and she smirked.

"It's a lot to process, I grant you. I don't want you to rush anything. You let me know what you want, and we'll go from there," he continued.

"I just want to slow things down until Calvin is settled. It isn't fair to either of you if I try to balance things and I'm not ready," Olivia admitted.

"That's fine. We can slow things down. We just can't right now, we're going to be late to the hospital," Elliot pointed out.

"Shit!" Olivia immediately stood up and headed for the bathroom, shucking her robe as she went. Elliot didn't bother to put any clothes on and followed her in there.

"We're going to have to share. If we hit that traffic, we'll never make it and then I'll be late for the Children's Services lady," he said. Olivia gave a shiver and hopped into the shower. Elliot smirked, knowing she wasn't cold, but that it was going to be incredibly hard to focus on showering with the two of them in the shower.

Sometime later, after dropping Olivia off, Elliot kicked the car back into a space and headed back into the building. He had ten minutes before the lady from Children's Services was going to be there and he had to make sure that things were in order.

Luckily before they had left, they'd stripped the sheets off the bed and put on clean ones. It had been something Olivia refused to leave the house before doing. He understood why but they were almost late to the hospital and as it was she still had to check in and get upstairs to Calvin's room. She'd brought along some of his clothes so he wouldn't have to be in the hospital gown for the tests.

Now as he unlocked the door, he smiled. There were a lot of memories in this place but new memories in a new place would be something that he knew Olivia was looking forward to. She really wanted to give Calvin his own space and make sure he felt at home.

"Detective Stabler?" His reverie was broken by someone behind him.

"Yes?" He turned around; not realizing it was already time to show the apartment off and that he was still standing in the doorway.

"I'm Susan Gorbett with Children's Services. I believe you were supposed to show me Detective Benson's apartment," the small statured brunette smiled.

"Yes, come in. I was just lost in thought," he said, as he let her into the apartment.

"I'm sure you have quite the caseload on your plate, so I will try to make this quick," Susan smiled.

"I have the entire day off. My only duty is to pick Detective Benson up later," Elliot told her.

"Oh good," another smile crossed her face.

"I'm not sure how these things go," Elliot confessed.

"Well I just need to see every room and ask a few questions. Nothing overly complicated," Susan told him.

"All right well we're standing in the living room," he said.

"Yes, very nice. Well kept," Susan nodded, writing something down on her form. They moved into the kitchen and she asked to see the inside of the refrigerator. Elliot thanked God that it had been filled not long ago.

"Wow, nice variety. You have no idea how many homes I walk into where the idea of vegetables are foreign," the woman smiled.

"Not a problem here. Liv will probably have to see which ones he likes but veggies are always on the menu," Elliot said as he closed the fridge.

"Yes well some places the idea for a vegetable is a potato chip. So I am happy to see that is not Detective Benson's view," Susan said. Elliot only nodded and led her to the bathroom.

"Is this the only one?" She asked.

"Yes," Elliot said, realizing that there were still two wet towels on the towel bar. He cringed inwardly; hoping that the woman thought Olivia used more than one towel to dry off this morning.

"Any idea where she keeps the towels, wash cloths, that kind of thing?" Susan wondered. He knew but he didn't really want to make it sound like he did.

"There's a closet in the hall. They could be in there," Elliot suggested, hoping it didn't sound like they were shacking up or anything. Any hint of impropriety could screw this whole thing up. Susan just nodded and looked in the closet and wrote something else down. The rest of the trip through the place was relatively easy and Elliot hoped it had gone well.

"So how long have you and Detective Benson been more than partners?" Susan asked. The question seemed to come out of nowhere and Elliot stumbled over his tongue.

"I… um…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Susan smirked.

"What gave it away?" He asked.

"Partners are one thing but a man, who judging by the tan on your finger, no longer wears a wedding ring, helps by showing off her apartment to a woman who has control of the situation that currently involves her getting custody of a poor abandoned child, that, that screams man in love," the Children's Services worker keep smiling.

"How…"

"Not to worry Detective Stabler. I've been doing this job a long time. Detective Benson's apartment is just fine. I'll file my report and I have no doubt that Calvin will be happy with both you and you partner," with a wink she left the apartment leaving Elliot speechless.


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday morning was one filled with excitement. Calvin was leaving the hospital after successfully passing the necessary tests. He was very lucky the doctors had said and they made him promise to stay out of trouble. He had smiled slightly but Olivia noticed that he really hadn't been in the smiling mood. She knew he missed his grandparents and she wasn't about to bring up his mother. Elliot promised to bring the car around and Olivia finished up the paperwork.

"How about we go to breakfast to celebrate?" She asked, hoping to help cheer him up.

"I'm not that hungry," he said.

"You mean you actually want to skip wonderful fluffy pancakes? I seem to remember you loving those pancakes at the diner," she teased. He gave her a small smile.

"That's what I thought. All right, let's get you out to the car," Olivia smiled and they dropped off the paperwork before heading out to find Elliot and the car.

After breakfast, Elliot dropped them off at her place but not before giving Olivia a peck on the cheek. He promised to be back after he went to go talk to his boss and IAB. She didn't envy him having to do that and wished she could go along but Calvin needed her to be there and she had to make sure he was all set.

"Well kiddo, why don't we get you down to your room so you can see where things are?" she asked. He nodded and headed upstairs with her. He'd been quiet since Elliot had given her that chaste kiss.

"All right. Uncle Fin and his partner, Aunt Amanda, brought all your stuff over. I cleared out my dresser and we got your clothes put in here. Your games are out in the living room and Teddy has a special place of honor, right here," she pointed to the bed where his favorite stuffed bear sat in front of the pillows. Calvin smiled.

"Where did you put all of your stuff?" He asked.

"Well I moved stuff out to the living room closet. Uncle John is looking for a new place for us to live so you can have your own room and I can have my room. I promise when we get there, we'll paint it whatever you want and we'll make it the best room in the place," she winked.

"What about Grandma's and Grandpa's place?" He asked.

"I've spoken to the landlord and he's agreed to let you come over and take anything that we missed. I have to…" she paused not sure how to explain that the rest had to go into storage until the will could be sorted out.

"Deal with their funeral?" He asked.

"I promised Dr. Warner, I'd look into everything and she promised to keep your Grandma and Grandpa with her until we were ready," Olivia told him.

"When can we go over to their apartment?" Calvin wanted to know.

"I was thinking tomorrow. You don't have to report to school until Monday so I figured a nice quiet day today and then we'd slowly get you ready for Monday," she smiled.

"What about Detective Stabler?" He asked.

"Well I would imagine he'll have to go back to work tomorrow. I have the rest of the week off," she said.

"Oh," he said. She gave him a look and then asked,

"Why don't we sit down on the couch for a minute?" Again he nodded and they walked out into the living room. They took a seat and Olivia turned to face him.

"I know this isn't easy. Trust me, I understand. But what I also understand is that from here on out, you and I are a team. I will always be there for you. I will never leave you. You will never be alone," she paused as she took his hand in hers.

"I know that when they took you away I couldn't bear it. To hear you calling for me and for me to not be able to do a thing made me angry. You needed me and I needed you. I know I never said it before and for that I'm sorry. I love you Calvin. I want us to be a family," she finished.

"What about my mom?" He asked.

"I promise that I will look for her and no matter what the outcome of the search, I will leave the choice up to you. If you want to go live with her, then you can do that and I won't stop you. I love you and I respect your decisions," Olivia said. It hurt to say as she never wanted to let him go but she knew that if she could find his mom, it wouldn't matter. Hopefully this time, she'd be better prepared for what could be coming. He perked up a little and gave a smile.

"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Well this is a big city. I'm sure we can find something to do," Olivia smiled and she started tossing ideas at him.

"Detective Stabler, we had an arrangement," IAB Lieutenant Ed Tucker said as the men sat in his office.

"I realize that but things change. Besides how long did you really think that whole charade was going to last? Eventually someone would have figured out that I was still working in the NYPD. Lacie had my card so unless I wasn't supposed to hand out my card…" Elliot told him.

"Well if you think you're rejoining SVU, you can forget it. You'll stay in Fraud or you will be kicked off the force and you can kiss your comfy pension goodbye," Tucker said.

"You're an asshole," Elliot spat.

"That may very well be but I can't have you carrying on a relationship with Detective Benson and being her partner now can I?" Tucker smirked. He knew he had Elliot in a tough spot and he loved it.

"What Detective Benson and I do or don't do is none of your business. Especially if we're in different units," Stabler pointed out.

"Just make sure everything stays above board or I will be more than happy to have the stuff in your desk sent to your apartment and your paychecks cancelled," Tucker told him. Elliot gritted his teeth.

"Can I get back to work?" Stabler asked.

"Yes. I've informed your Captain that you'll be working this weekend to make up the time you lost," Tucker smirked and Elliot stood and left his office. Well so much for spending the weekend with Olivia. No doubt he had paperwork backing up and a new case on his desk, just because he and Tucker never got along. He pulled out his phone and texted Olivia letting her know that he wouldn't be available for the weekend. She replied that Tucker was an asshole and he chuckled. He then promised to see her Monday for lunch. She agreed and he hoped that they could talk about what was next and how things had gone. Hopefully everything went well.


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia nervously fingered the Semper Fi medal around her neck as Elliot dodged the morning traffic. Six months had passed from the time that Calvin had come home from the hospital and now they all travelled to court for a custody hearing. Olivia had done her best, despite the urge of not wanting to, to look for Calvin's mother and had found nothing. It had been a year since anyone had seen or heard from her and both Olivia and Elliot only assumed the worst. Maybe it came with the job and maybe they'd been at it for far too long but the chance that she had died was a very real possibility. After all she hadn't been a terrible mother but the large downward spiral that occurred was something that was hard to pull out of.

Elliot could see her fiddling with the medal he'd given her and smiled. Six months. Hard to believe but a lot had changed. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Calvin was nervously fidgeting in his seat. The suit that they had bought him looked great but he was uncomfortable in it as he really never had anything like that to wear. In fact, the first suit they bought him was for his grandparents' funeral and he refused to wear it afterwards so they had gone out and gotten him another one.

"I don't think it's ever been this quiet in here," Elliot spoke up.

"Sorry, I have a lot on my mind," Olivia smiled slightly.

"Me too," Calvin admitted.

"Well when the hearing is over we're going out to lunch to celebrate. Any place you want to go Calvin, just name it," Elliot smiled.

"Thanks," he smiled slightly and then turned his head to stare back out the window. Olivia reached over and put a hand on Elliot's thigh. He waggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. He chuckled and winked before flicking on his directional and making a right hand turn onto the street where Family Court was held.

They were not the first on the docket and while they waited their turn, Olivia held Calvin's hand and her mind slipped back to the early days of getting everybody settled. At first, things hadn't been bad. Calvin was doing well in school, he seemed to be happier than he had been, and he was even joining back up with the friends he'd had before. Slowly but surely, she and Elliot had been increasing the frequency of their dates whenever they could in between cases and Calvin was becoming distant until one day Elliot stopped over. Calvin looked like he was going to blow a gasket until Elliot had spoken up. He had tickets to the Yankees-Mets game that afternoon and he was taking Calvin. At first, the young man couldn't believe it but Elliot went into his bag and pulled out a brand new baseball glove and said that Olivia shouldn't wait up. With that both left the apartment and all she could do was smile. Calvin was so happy and they had so much fun that after that he and Elliot became thick as thieves. More and more they were becoming a little family and that was something that Olivia had wanted not just for herself but also Calvin. Then she felt her hand being squeezed and she broke from her reverie.

"I'm nervous," Calvin said in a small voice.

"Don't be. This is just a formality. Before you know it, you and I will be inseparable forever just like we are now," she winked and he smiled.

"Hey you three," Casey slid onto the bench next to Olivia, keeping her voice low.

"Hey, you. A little late aren't you?" Her friend asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm right on time," the red head smirked as she turned toward the front of the room. Sure enough within ten minutes they were up. Calvin had to sit at what would have been the prosecutor's table with the social worker, Susan Gorbett, assigned to his case while Casey and Olivia sat at the defendant's table.

"Good morning everyone," Judge Cameron smiled as she sat down.

"Good morning your honor. I'm Casey Novak representing Detective Olivia Benson," Casey spoke up.

"An ADA? Well you certainly have my attention," the Judge said.

"I realize that this was just supposed to be a hearing to give an update on extending temporary custody, seeing as she was not given the qualification of a foster parent, but my client would like to formally adopt Mr. Calvin Arliss. However, your honor, things aren't as simple as it sounds," Casey walked forward and handed her a copy of the missing persons report filed on Vivian Arliss along with the death certificates of his grandparents and the Department of Corrections report and his father.

"I see what you mean Counselor. Given the situation and the fact that no family appears to be available, I see no reason to reject the application, especially since Detective Benson has had temporary custody multiple times. However, this could become a sticky situation down the road. That being said, Miss Gorbett, what is your opinion of the home situation and care of Mr. Arliss?" Cameron asked.

"Detective Benson has moved from her previous apartment into a larger apartment and Calvin has his own room. She makes sure he goes to school and keeps his grades up. To be honest, I see a lot of children but not one as happy Calvin. Both he and Detective Benson have a good support group at her precinct and her former partner, Detective Elliot Stabler. I do not see these things changing and am glad to announce that Detective Benson has started saving for Calvin's college education. I recommend that a full adoption occur," Susan smiled.

"Then my decision is easy. Adoption so ordered. Please start the paperwork. Detective Benson, would you approach the bench please?" The Judge asked. Quickly, Olivia approached the bench and the Judge covered her microphone.

"I am glad to see this young man out of the system and I am very happy for both of you but I must caution you. Should Vivian Arliss ever come forward before Calvin turns eighteen and wish to have custody of her son, you will have a fight on your hands. At eighteen, he is free to make any decision he wishes. I do not wish to dampen the mood but I do want you to be aware. Good luck," Cameron told her.

"Thank you Judge," Olivia smiled. If that day ever came she knew she would be ready and she would fight with everything she had.


	9. Chapter 9

Elliot stood outside the apartment door and could hear the sound of a video game. He smirked and knocked on the door. He had his own key but he always knocked anyway as the building Olivia and Calvin had moved into didn't have a buzzer system as her old building did. He then heard the game pause and he said,

"Hey Calvin, it's me."

"Hey Elliot. Mom is down at the bodega. She forgot something for dinner," Calvin smiled as he let him in.

"She's cooking again?" Elliot grimaced.

"Yeah, I have the pizza delivery number on speed dial," the young man chuckled. Elliot laughed and he headed for the couch. Calvin followed.

"You really like that thing don't you?" Elliot smiled at the video game console. Olivia had scrimped and saved for months. She wanted Calvin's first birthday as a family to be special. Elliot had wanted to help but between the alimony and child support for Kathy and Eli and the rent on his apartment, it just wasn't in the cards. Not that she would have asked but he wanted to help as much as he could.

"I do but that's not why you came to see us is it?" Calvin asked.

"Well not exactly. I have something to ask you without your Mom here," Elliot chuckled.

"I kind of figured but what exactly what do you mean?" The young man pressed. Knowing that he was running out of time he went into his pocket and pulled out the box he had in it.

"I know that it's only been six months since your adoption hearing and I know that it's been crazy for everyone but I've spent a very long time with your Mom and I can't imagine life without her. And I can't imagine life without you. So as the man of the house, I'm asking you if it would be all right if I asked your Mom to marry me," Elliot finally spit it out.

"I think Mom would find this funny," Calvin chuckled.

"I'll admit she's never been one for the old fashioned notion of me asking someone if I could marry her but essentially it's not just her I'm asking. If she says yes, then I want to ask you if you would consider being my son. I want to be a dad again and I couldn't imagine being one without you. You're a wonderful kid and I haven't seen your Mom this happy in a very long time. We can be a family and I don't know what you want but that's what I want," he said.

"You want to be my dad?" Calvin asked.

"If you'll have me. I know it's a lot to process and I want you to take your time. I've waited for your Mom for a long time and I can wait…"

"Yes," Calvin smiled.

"You don't want to think about it?" Elliot wanted to know.

"What is there to think? You make Mom happy. When she is happy, I'm happy. Besides who else would take me to ball games?" The young man teased.

"You know I love both of you right?" Elliot smirked.

"I know," then Calvin did something he'd never done before and leaned over and gave Elliot a hug.

"I love you too," he said. Elliot squeezed him just as keys in the apartment door lock jiggled. Olivia opened the door, arms full of groceries. Elliot and Calvin quickly pulled apart and she looked at them.

"Did we have a date tonight?" Olivia had a look on her face, like she was feeling guilty for forgetting something.

"No. I hear you were having pizza so I stopped by," Elliot smirked as he took the groceries from her and helped her into the kitchen.

"Pizza? That's not what I was making," Olivia said.

"In about thirty seconds you are," Calvin teased and she chucked the kitchen towel at him.

"My treat," Elliot smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strong T rating for this chapter.

A week later was the actual anniversary of the adoption hearing and Olivia had intended to take Calvin out for a special day of activities. Cragen had given her the next day off and she was excited as she exited his office. The slow day at the precinct had finally come to a close and she was packing up her stuff as she was getting ready to leave. Nick had disappeared into the crib in search of something in his locker and Fin was just texting someone on his cell phone. Looking around, she didn't see Amanda and she wondered where the Southern girl had wandered off to. Shrugging her shoulders and turning off her computer, she stood to leave, and Fin stood up at the same time.

"You got tomorrow off?" Fin asked.

"Yes. Calvin and I are going to spend the day together. We still haven't figured out if we're going to celebrate the hearing date or just the date the actual paperwork went through but for the first year, we figured we'd celebrate both," she smiled.

"That's cool. You know I'm glad this whole thing worked out. You've never been happier and Calvin is a great kid," he smiled slightly. Olivia beamed.

"I can't take all the credit," she said.

"Oh I think you can," Calvin said, which caused Olivia to turn around. She was about to ask how he got here when he pulled her into a hug and that's when she saw Amanda putting her car keys back into her pocket.

"You guys…" she started but never finished as Nick came out of the crib with a cake.

"We thought we'd surprise you," Munch smiled as he whipped out candles from his desk drawer and stuck them into the cake after Nick set it down on Olivia's desk.

"I don't know what to say," Olivia confessed.

"You don't have to say anything, you're family," Cragen smiled as he exited his office.

"Besides the ice cream is melting," Amanda teased as she put the bag containing Calvin's favorite ice cream, chocolate, on the desk. Olivia chuckled.

After the cake and ice cream disappeared, the group sat just chitchatting and enjoying each other's company. It was nice to take time out for themselves and just relax. Cragen looked at his watch and chuckled,

"Even in our free time, we spend more time at the precinct. All right, everyone out. I don't care where you go but you can't stay here."

"Sounds like an open invitation to get a drink. Who wants in?" Nick asked.

"I'm in," Fin said.

"Me too," Amanda smiled.

"I think we'll pass," Olivia said as she realized it was almost seven thirty and Calvin had yet to eat dinner and Elliot was going to stop over around eight.

"Bummer," Munch said as he grabbed his coat.

"Well Calvin's still on probation, so he probably shouldn't be drinking," she teased. The young man had managed to miss his curfew on Sunday, when he was hanging out with his best friend, Jason, and Olivia had been firm. No being out after eight pm until Friday when he was allowed to go sleepover at Jason's house again. The summer had been tricky as Calvin was at that age in between needing a babysitter and being home by himself. Most of the time, the lady across the hall, Mrs. Juarez, kept an eye on him and Olivia couldn't thank her enough. Her son, Julio, and Calvin got along great so it worked out for the best. In fact, when Julio needed looking after on the few occasions, the sitter wasn't available; Olivia had taken the opportunity to help out. Mrs. Juarez worked the night shift as a cleaning lady in an office building and basically the kids would play until bed and then the rest of the evening was easy.

"Busted," Calvin shook his head.

"Well y'all know a playa' has to play," Fin chuckled. Olivia shook her head as Calvin and Fin fist bumped.

"Who would have thought a detective would be such a bad influence on him?" Amanda shook her head and pushed her partner toward the door.

"I thought you guys were leaving," the Captain called from his office as he turned out the lights.

"On the move, Cap," Nick called out as they quickly left the precinct. Stepping out into the warm night air, Olivia pulled Calvin close.

"That was nice of you to surprise me," she smiled, as they approached the passenger side of the car.

"Welcome," he smiled back before climbing into the vehicle. Olivia went around, fired the car up, and they headed for home.

"Good thing I had keys," Elliot chuckled as they entered the apartment, twenty minutes past eight o'clock.

"They threw a little party at the precinct," Olivia smiled slightly.

"I told them not to spoil your appetite," Elliot shook his head as he pulled Chinese food out of the bag and set it on the kitchen table.

"Yum!" Calvin smiled.

"Go wash up," Olivia smirked as Calvin dashed off to the bathroom.

"Hey babe," Elliot leaned over the table and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey yourself," she said.

"We're going to eat right?" Calvin asked.

"Did you wash up already?" Olivia gave him a look like she knew he hadn't done it right.

"Of course," he smiled.

"Uh huh," she shook her head as Calvin took his seat. Elliot grabbed his hands and took a look.

"Pretty clean Liv," he said. She rolled her eyes, knowing that Elliot was probably making it up, and they tucked into their food.

After Calvin had gone to bed, Olivia and Elliot stayed up to watch the news. Then they turned off the TV and headed for the bedroom. More and more, Elliot had been spending the night and more than once, Olivia had brought up the fact that he really shouldn't keep his apartment if all he kept doing was spending the night with them. Now she lay in bed waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. They had something to discuss and the more she thought about it, the more nervous she was becoming.

"Hey sexy, whatcha thinking about?" Elliot asked, breaking her reverie, as he slipped beneath the sheets and pressed his lips to her cheek. He was close enough to her that she could tell he was completely naked by the fact that something was poking her in the leg.

"I was thinking about something but you seem to be thinking about something else," she waggled her eyebrows.

"Well considering this is actually the first night I'm sleeping over here since last week, so yes, I had plans," he smirked.

"And what if I wasn't in the mood?" She teased.

"Well I don't see how that's possible since I know that you and I haven't been together since last week," he pointed out. She couldn't argue with that logic. She'd been sick two weeks ago so things had been off the table until she felt better. Then the first day she'd felt better, they'd done their darnedest to make it up to each other. Then Elliot had been working late so he could have the weekend off. He had to go in tomorrow but they had dinner plans after which, they would most certainly use the empty apartment for their extracurricular activities.

Leaning over to his ear she whispered something naughty and he smirked. His hands roamed under the sheets to find she'd been jerking him around.

"You were naked first," he said as he kissed her starting with her lips and working his way down to her neck.

"Well I have to play a little hard to get," she teased as her back arched due to his ministrations with his now fully occupied hands. He chuckled and said,

"I have something to cure you of that thought."

"Show me big boy, instead of talking," at this point the game was on.


	11. Chapter 11

Elliot pulled up the fancy Italian restaurant after they dropped Calvin off at Jason's apartment. Olivia had been strangely quiet since then and Elliot felt like asking her what was up but he'd been forced to keep his eyes on the road. Friday night near the dinner hour in the city was a busy time to be driving.

"Valet parking sir?" The man at the kiosk asked as he exited the vehicle.

"Yes," Elliot tossed him the keys before helping Olivia out of the car. Not that she needed help but he always opened the door for her.

"El, are you sure about this?" She asked as she exited the car.

"Why would I not be? This is a special occasion," he said, as they headed inside.

"How many favors did you have to call in?" Olivia gave him a look, knowing that a place like this took weeks, if not months, to get in.

"I called up in plenty of time," he smirked, knowing he'd done the right thing in selecting the restaurant. She had been right. He knew the owner after helping him sort out some messy business going on with his bartender, who had been lining his pockets, and messing up the sales of the restaurant. Fraud had been suspected when the company made less money than the year before but was showing an increase in customers. There was not claiming all the tips and then there was stealing from the register.

"All right Stabler but don't think I don't know when you're trying to pull the wool over my eyes," Benson shook her head and looked down at her dress, while they waited in line to talk to the maître d'. She hoped it was appropriate and as if Elliot was reading her mind he leaned in and whispered to her,

"You look fantastic." She smiled slightly and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Ah Detective Stabler, there you are," Anthony, the maître d', smiled.

"Hello Anthony. Table for two," he smiled back.

"I was right," Olivia chuckled. He rolled his eyes as Anthony walked them through the eating area to a secluded little table in the corner of the restaurant.

"Here we are. Shall I get you anything special to drink?" Anthony asked.

"Wine would be great," Elliot smiled.

"Water would be better," Olivia said which took Elliot aback slightly but perhaps she was afraid it would cost too much. After all, they were both on a budget.

"Both it is," Anthony smiled and scooted away. It wasn't long before the drinks arrived and then the waiter. He leaned over to Elliot and whispered something which Olivia grew immediately suspicious of but she said nothing.

"Elliot Stabler, you wonderful human being," a voice from behind Olivia said, as the waiter scurried away. She looked up and came face to face with a short Italian man who was very well groomed.

"Vincenzo, very good to see you. This is my girlfriend, Olivia Benson. Vincenzo owns the restaurant," he stood and shook hands with the man who turned to Olivia and gave her a hug.

"Very handsome couple," Vincenzo remarked.

"Thank you," Elliot smiled.

"Now you enjoy your evening and don't let me get in the way," the owner smiled and gave Elliot a wink. Again Olivia noticed but said nothing. Soon food that they had not even ordered arrived and Elliot chuckled.

"Let me guess, Vincenzo knew what we wanted," Olivia smiled as she stared at the plate of chicken parmigiana in front of her and the scrumptious looking plate of seafood alfredo in front of Elliot.

"I guess so. I hear that these are some of the best dishes they make," he smiled and they tucked into their food.

It wasn't long before they were both very full and there was plenty left to take home for leftovers. Olivia commented that Calvin would be jealous as she was sure that he had gotten pizza over at Jason's house. Elliot laughed and ever so casually changed the subject.

"I have something I'd like to ask you about, if that's ok?"

"You know that you can ask me anything," she smiled.

"Is everything ok? You've seem a bit distracted," he admitted.

"I am sorry. I have been distracted. There is a lot rolling around in my head. I'm sorry," Olivia hoped he wasn't upset, realizing she apologized twice and she was nervously twitching her leg under the table.

"Now I know something is up," Elliot said as the waiter promised to be right back with their leftovers and the check.

"To be perfectly honest, I…" she didn't finish her statement as Vincenzo arrived at the table.

"I hope you found everything to your liking this evening," he smiled.

"It was fantastic," Olivia smiled, grateful for the reprieve.

"Yes it was," Elliot smiled and stood from his seat. That's when Vincenzo handed him the black book in which the check would normally be. Olivia noticed it bulged slightly but she figured that it was just a special treat for them, as Vincenzo disappeared again. She wasn't entirely wrong but she was a little shocked when Elliot slipped the object out of book and laid the empty book on the table. That's when he got down on one knee.

"Liv, I know we've been through a lot and I know that there isn't another person in the whole world who I could have imagined being with. I probably don't say it enough but I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" He asked, producing a small but beautiful gold ring with an oval diamond.

"Elliot, I…" her eyes started to well up which he was not expecting and suddenly felt awkward about the whole thing. Had he done something wrong?

"Yes," she finally said after what seemed like an eternity. He beamed as he slid the ring on her finger. Standing her pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the lips. It was one of those kisses famous for the rest of the world disappearing which was only broken by people in the restaurant clapping. At this Olivia blushed and looked at Elliot who was nothing but smiles.

"All right, off you two go. I'm sure you have plans for this evening," Vincenzo smirked.

"But…" Olivia started, knowing that neither she nor Elliot put any money on the table.

"Go and promise you'll be back," the owner smiled. They needed no more encouragement and quickly grabbed their coats and headed outside to the valet. He brought the car around and they hopped inside. The drive back to Olivia's apartment was spent with hands intertwined and smiles with stolen looks and quick kisses at red lights.

Finally inside her apartment, Elliot quickly popped his shoes off and shrugged off his coat before taking Olivia's coat, after she locked the door. He made a move to pull her close and she put her hands on his chest.

"What is it?" He asked.

"We need to talk," she said.

"Right now?" Elliot was confused. They were engaged. They should be having mind-blowing sex.

"Yes, right now," she had a slight smile and a look in her eyes that he wasn't familiar with. It was very odd and he grew concerned.

"Everything is ok, right?" He asked.

"More than ok if I'm right," Olivia said before pulling away and heading for the couch. Elliot said down next to her and she continued,

"You know how I was taking those antibiotics and the doctor told me they would mess up some things…" he nodded.

"I'm late," she told him.

"Late? For what?" He was not processing everything.

"Aunt Rosie never came for a visit," she said.


	12. Chapter 12

He looked at her with a blank look on his face as if he didn't understand what she just said. She shook her head.

"You are thicker than I remember," she smirked.

"Not thick, just…" he started but trailed off as he stood from the couch.

"Everything you're thinking, the answer is yes," Olivia said.

"How…?" he trailed off again.

"Yes, I bought a test. Yes, I think I'm pregnant. Yes, I called the doctor and set up an appointment. No, I didn't take the test yet. Oh well I guess there was a "No" in there," she chuckled.

"You have no idea what this means…" he smiled this time.

"Oh I think I do. Not only is there going to be another Stabler running around, we need a bigger apartment, and a wedding before the baby comes if we can manage it. Although I do think we're jumping the gun. Shouldn't I take the test first?" Olivia was surprised at how Elliot was even functioning. Had he been like this with Kathy?

"Yes, you should. Sorry. I guess I just don't know what to say. I mean I'm going to marry the woman I love. I'm gaining a wonderful kid in Calvin and now I'm getting another child. Wow," he said as he sat back down. She realized it was a lot to take in and that is why she had been so distracted earlier. Even before he'd asked her to marry him, it was odd to think at her age having another child to run around the apartment and how to tell Calvin. He'd been an only child his whole life and she didn't want him to think another child would mean that she would love him any less. Her attention might be diverted more but her love, never.

"It is a lot but I think I should take the test before either one of us panics anymore. I mean we're seasoned detectives. This shouldn't be that big of a deal right?" She smirked.

"Yeah. Besides this is what I've wanted for so long, I should be screaming from the rooftops," Elliot pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"Well IAB doesn't need to know right now do they? Nothing spoils the mood like Tucker on the rampage," Olivia told him. Elliot involuntarily shivered and straightened his tie.

"That jerk can…"

"I know what you're thinking. No need to turn the air blue, especially since he seems to know stuff before we know stuff," she clamped a hand over his mouth. He nodded and they stood from the couch. They walked hand in hand to the bathroom until Olivia needed both hands to open the cabinet containing the cleaning supplies.

"You kept it in there?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well I figured it was safe. Calvin doesn't go in here unless I remind him what day of the week it is and what has to happen on that day as far as chores go," she explained.

"Nice. Don't want to freak the poor kid out," Elliot smiled.

"Well I believe this next part I have to do alone," she chuckled as she shoved him out the door and closed it.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he teased through the door.

"Elliot Stabler!" She shouted back at him.

"Just saying," he chuckled and waited until he heard the toilet flush and the sink run. She opened the door, a hint of anger on her face, but also a partial smile and it made him chuckle some more.

"How long do we have to wait?" She asked.

"A few minutes," he told her.

"Do we tell Calvin if it comes up positive?" Olivia wondered.

"Not until your doctor confirms it. Better safe than sorry. That's how we did it with my kids," Elliot smiled slightly.

"Seems like a plan. I took Wednesday afternoon off for the appointment. Its last minute but the doctor thought it would be better to squeeze me in. You think you can get off for a little while around three pm?" She asked.

"I'll find a way, don't you worry," he smiled.

"Worry? Me?" Olivia gave a nervous chuckle.

"If you're not worried then why are you holding the test with a death grip?" Elliot asked, smiling the entire time. She gave him a look and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You know, no matter how this test turns out, I want to have a kid of our own," he admitted.

"We do. He's about as tall as you and eats like you do. I'm just lucky he hasn't picked up any of your bad habits," Olivia teased.

"Bad habits? Me?" He teased before turning serious.

"I mean I want a Benson/Stabler combo. Can you imagine how awesome that will be?" Elliot smiled.

"Or how scary for the rest of the world it will be. The kid will probably come out with your temper and my trust issues," Olivia smirked.

"And we'll love he or she for it," he said as he slowly pried her fingers off the test, one by one. It was time to check it and it seemed as though Olivia was quite hesitant to look.

"What are you doing?" He asked before turning the test in his hand.

"Just nervous I guess," she admitted. As much as she'd always wanted a child of her own, she wasn't sure if she'd be a really great mother. Raising Calvin had been pretty easy; minus the hearings and investigations and the whole family baggage he'd come with. She'd had baggage of her own which she had yet to share but she wasn't exactly sure Calvin ever needed to know about her parents other than that both of them were not in her life anymore.

"Well why don't I look and then I show you?" Elliot suggested.

"Why don't we look together? We aren't doing anything alone ever again," she pointed out.

"So very true," he smiled as he lifted the test up where they could read it.


	13. Chapter 13

Olivia alternated between nervously tapping her foot and bouncing her right knee up and down as she sat in the doctor's waiting room. Elliot wasn't there yet and her appointment was in ten minutes. She had told Calvin that she wasn't going to be at work after two-thirty and told him that Mrs. Juarez would be expecting him after school. She hadn't told the Hispanic woman what was going on, only that she had a doctor's appointment, and the neighbor said she had no problem watching Calvin.

"This seat taken?" A familiar voice caused her to look up from the object she'd been staring at for the last five minutes.

"Only for my fiancé," she smirked.

"You must not like him much," Elliot chuckled as he sat down next to her.

"Oh and why is that?" Olivia asked.

"Well you said only as if it wasn't a very big deal. He's only the person you'll be spending the rest of your life with," he teased.

"Now if only my doctor would call me, we could get moving," she shook her head.

"Hey, you still have five minutes until the time of your appointment. Besides they want the results from your little test before you go in," Elliot pointed out.

"This is true but I guess I'm just nervous," she said before asking,

"You didn't have trouble getting away did you?" she wasn't exactly sure what he'd told his captain. The only people who knew that they were engaged were the people at the restaurant and Calvin. They had not told anyone else yet as they weren't sure how they were going to keep it from IAB or if they even needed to, considering they did not work in the same department. Not only that, they wanted to be absolutely sure they knew everything before telling people about them and the possible baby.

"I told him that I had to go to the doctor. He said, he hoped I felt better, and that was it," Elliot reassured her. Olivia went to say something when she heard,

"Olivia?" Her name was called by the nurse and she stood up, grabbing Elliot's hand. The two headed over to the nurse and she led them down the hall where she took Olivia's blood pressure and checked her weight. Then the three of them headed to the exam room. The nurse told Olivia that she did not have to worry about changing just yet and could sit next to Elliot.

"Doctor Julie will be in in a few minutes. Your test results should be along shortly," the nurse smiled and left.

"So when was the last time, you were this nervous?" Elliot asked, feeling Olivia's palms get sweaty.

"That day in the squad room when Jenna…" she paused, knowing full well that he knew what she was talking about.

"Here Sister Peg was dying and I couldn't help her but all I was thinking about was where you were and what was happening and then it was over and…" there was a knock on the door and Doctor Julie poked her head in.

"Hello Olivia. Who is this strapping young gentleman?" The doctor smiled and closed the door behind her.

"This is Elliot, my fiancé," she beamed when she said it.

"I hope he knows how lucky he is," Julie chuckled as she pulled out a piece of paper from her folder.

"Oh I do," Elliot smiled.

"Excellent because I have some news for you both. Olivia's test came back and you two are going to be proud parents in about eight months and a week or so," the doctor smiled. At that point Olivia couldn't control herself anymore and a few happy tears slipped down her cheeks.

"That's great doctor. Thanks," Elliot was beaming.

"It really is," Olivia said wiping her face.

"Now you know that with Olivia's age things may be a little tricky. I have a list of things that we need to discuss and appointments that need to be set up. So let's get to it," the doctor smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

"Calvin! Dinner!" Olivia called from the kitchen.

"Be right there Mom!" He replied from his bedroom. She smiled at the response despite the fact he'd been calling her "Mom" for months now. Absentmindedly she placed a hand on her very swollen belly. She was only a week away from her delivery date and Captain Cragen had forced her to go on maternity leave when she was supposed to. At first it drove her nuts to be home all day but she liked eating dinner with Calvin at a decent hour and she liked the fact that she'd been able to pick out how to decorate the baby's room along with being able to do some of the decorating on her own. The new apartment was fantastic and she could hardly believe that they had managed a three bedroom on their budget. Her old landlord had told her to go to a friend of his since he didn't have any apartments that were big enough and they had looked at one and immediately fell in love. The rooms were big enough that the baby could grow into it and that Calvin wouldn't be giving up much space at all. Luckily, they weren't moving out of the school district and Calvin wouldn't have to make new friends or lose touch with his current ones.

"Smells fantastic, what is it?" Calvin asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Something simple," she smiled as she scooped spaghetti onto his plate.

"Simple is good," he smirked. Despite being home on leave, Olivia's cooking was still suffering and it was to the point that she had to ask Calvin to pull the pots and pans out before he went to school seeing as she couldn't bend over to get them. Needless to say she wasn't exactly a chef but boil water and toss in noodles, that was all the culinary expertise she needed. Most of the time, Elliot would cook something and then make sure they had leftovers for the rest of the week.

"Thanks a lot mister," she shook his head at him.

"Love you," Calvin smiled as he took his plate and sat down. Reaching for the garlic bread, he gave them each a piece. They ate in relative silence until Olivia made a face.

"The food tastes good so you can't be worried about that," Calvin said, letting her know that he saw the look.

"I don't think it's the food, we have to worry about," she said as she checked under the table. Calvin was confused and looked with her.

"Mom…" he started.

"Get my bag and call your father," Olivia instructed.

"Stay right where you are," he told her as he grabbed the phone off the counter. Elliot's phone went to voicemail and he quickly dialed the number he knew by heart.

"Uncle Fin! I need your help!" He shouted into the phone as the detective picked up.

"What's going on?" Fin asked, concerned about his tone.

"The baby is coming and Dad didn't answer his phone," Calvin explained.

"Ok hang on buddy. Me and Rollins are on the way, sirens blaring," Fin said and hung up. Calvin went and retrieved his mother's hospital bag and returned to her at the table.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"So far, pretty good. Do me a favor and pack up the food. I don't want you and your Dad to come home to a mess," she smiled as a slight pain in her abdomen let her know that the baby wasn't too keen on waiting. Calvin quickly cleaned up the food and looked at the clock. Even at this time of day, with the sirens blaring, Uncle Fin and Aunt Amanda were probably at least thirty minutes away.

"Should I call for an ambulance?" Calvin asked.

"Don't worry, your Uncle Fin will be here soon," she smiled, trying to reassure him but the simple fact was, she was starting to get nervous. Slowly standing up, she took deep breaths and tried to calm down. She would have driven them herself but she couldn't fit behind the wheel and still reach the petals. Staying at the apartment was the best bet until help arrived. Calvin tried Elliot's cell one more time but he still got no response and left a second message. Unsure of what else to do, he looked at the clock again when there was a knock on the door.

"We're coming in!" Fin announced.

"What were you guys doing a hundred miles an hour?" Olivia looked at them in disbelief. It had only been ten minutes since Calvin got off the phone.

"Well we couldn't exactly leave y'all hanging," Rollins teased as she went to Olivia and Fin grabbed the bag and Calvin before heading out the door.

"No seriously, how did you guys get here so quickly?" Olivia asked, concerned they'd used department resources to do something they shouldn't have as they headed toward the elevator.

"We were at a crime scene," Fin spilled.

"You left a crime scene?!" Olivia couldn't believe it but she suspended her disbelief when a contraction hit as the elevator headed down.

"We better get a move on," she said through gritted teeth.

"You got it, baby girl," Fin smirked as they exited the elevator and went out to the waiting car.

"Calvin, you get shotgun. Turn the lights and sirens on," Fin told him as Rollins went into the back seat with Olivia.

"You got it," Calvin smiled and hit the buttons after buckling up.

"I don't want to have this baby in the car," Olivia suddenly sounded nervous and Rollins realized that that was probably the first time she didn't sound like Olivia Benson.

"Hey, now, that's not going to happen," Rollins tried to calm her down, by patting her shoulder, "Fin has every possible bell and whistle on this thing at full blast. We'll get to the hospital in time." She said it but she wasn't exactly sure if that was the case or not.

"Where is Elliot?" Olivia wanted to know as she braced for another contraction.

"Wish I knew. Cap called over to his precinct to relay the news. He'll get the message one way or the other," Amanda smiled before leaning forward and whispering to Fin to get the car moving faster.


	15. Chapter 15

Elliot rushed in through the hospital doors and found the receptionist on the phone. He gave her a look like "You better get off the phone or else" and she quickly put whoever it was on hold.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"My wife is having our baby, Olivia Benson," Elliot told her. The woman quickly looked her up in the computer and directed him to the elevators and told him to get off at the fifth floor. He rushed away without saying anything, hoping to God that he was on time. After all, he didn't get the alert until an hour after the first voice message and then he'd been stuck in traffic for almost an hour.

His thought flashed back to three months prior when he and Olivia had decided they just didn't want a big wedding. They had hemmed and hawed over it and eventually Olivia had pointed out that she wouldn't be able to get into a wedding dress anyway. That and she refused to wear white. She told him she saw no point considering everybody knew it was a lie. Elliot pointed out that women still wore white anyway and she had told him that if he ever wanted to touch her again that he would let her do this her way. As much as she would have wanted a big wedding, she just wasn't meant to have one. Between the money it would cost and the fact that they were on a limited timetable, what she wanted was something practical. So they went to the court house with the team, Calvin, and Elliot's kids as witnesses. It had been a little more than they needed and Elliot had told Olivia that if she didn't want his kids there it was ok. But she had insisted. The girls were thrilled and helped Olivia pick something nice to wear despite her size at the time. She had gone with a pant suit which really hadn't surprised anyone.  _Typical Liv_ , he mused as the elevator doors opened. He exited and ran to the nurses' desk.

"Olivia Benson?" He asked.

"Down the hall cutie," the nurse pointed in the direction he was to go and he could see Rollins, Amaro, and Munch with the Captain standing in the hallway. He ran down there and the Captain grabbed his shoulder before shoving him into the room.

"I made it," he said, panting.

"Good because I'm going to kill you," she said before another contraction hit.

"I know. I'm so sorry I'm late," Elliot said, taking a seat next to her.

"You have a good reason I hope," Olivia gave him a look.

"My phone was on vibrate. I was interrogating a suspect. My Captain busted in and told me to leave the guy, he'd handle it," he said.

"Calvin performed admirably in your stead. Cap had to hand the case that they were working over to another…" she paused and gritted her teeth as another contraction hit.

"There you go worrying about everybody but yourself," Elliot smiled and leaned over to kiss her temple.

"I'm just glad you're here," she smiled. The door opened and in walked Doctor Julie.

"Well I'm glad to see everyone made it to the party. Let's see how you're doing Olivia," the doctor smiled and took a look underneath the hospital gown.

"How far along Doc?" Elliot asked.

"You sir, have excellent timing," Julie smirked and then headed for the door and calling the nurses into the room.

"Where is Calvin?" Olivia wanted to know.

"He must be with Fin. I didn't see him as I came into the room," Elliot smiled.

"No time to worry about that, this baby is coming. All right, Olivia, I need you to push on the next contraction, ok?" Julie asked. Olivia nodded and got ready for it. Elliot grabbed her hand and kissed it.

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen a more adorable baby," Rollins waved at the little one in the baby beds behind the glass window.

"Or a more stubborn one. Definitely a Benson-Stabler combo," Fin chuckled.

"Considering how fast the baby came, I would say so. That has to be a record," Munch shook his head.

"I know my little Zara took her time," Nick smirked.

"Looks like the gang are all here," Elliot chuckled as he wheeled Olivia up to the window in a wheelchair.

"Hey guys," she smiled slightly. She was exhausted but didn't want to miss out on everyone seeing the new addition to the SVU crew. Calvin brought up the rear behind them and he could not stop smiling.

"So you guys pick out a name yet or is the little one going to be "Benson-Stabler baby" forever?" The Captain wanted to know.

"We went with Charlotte Marie Stabler," Olivia smiled.

"That's a great name," Rollins, was obviously very enamored by the whole thing, and the team had rarely seen her emotional side. She tended to keep things locked up especially after the incident with her sister.

"What no hyphenated last name?" Munch chuckled.

"Another Stabler in the world? We're all in trouble," Fin laughed.

"Well technically I'm not a Benson anymore except professionally, so we agreed that she should have her Daddy's last name, like her brother," Olivia shook her head at the two goofballs.

"That sounds like a plan," Amaro smiled.

"How much longer until they make it official for you, Calvin?" The Captain wanted to know, knowing full well the boy had been counting down the days.

"Seven," he said without turning around from the place where he'd plastered himself to the glass. He was so thrilled to be an older brother. They were just waiting on some paperwork to go through but none of that mattered now.

"Time to call it a night folks," a nurse smiled. Olivia needed to get some sleep but everyone was glad to have been a part of it.

"No coming back to work until your Maternity Leave is over, you got that?" Cragen asked.

"Yes, sir," Elliot answered for her, which normally would have gotten him in a world of trouble. Olivia just nodded this time however. The Captain smirked. Everyone said their quick goodbyes and then it was off to bed for Olivia.


	16. Chapter 16

With her twelve weeks of maternity leave up shortly, Olivia looked at Charlotte who for the last month and a half had been a very well behaved baby. She cooed at her mother who could not help but smile.

"Thought I'd find you in here," Elliot said from behind her. She turned around to see him in the doorway to the baby's room.

"Well I really wasn't hiding," she smirked as he walked over to her. It was early on a Saturday and the apartment was quiet. Calvin was still sleeping and she'd left Elliot to try to catch up on some sleep as he'd been working a big case and had hardly been in their bed the last few nights.

"I know but when I wake up and you're not there I get very lonely," he teased as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed them together.

"Somehow it isn't the same is it? I slept plenty of nights alone before but now I feel really alone when you aren't there. Then I end up in here," Olivia admitted before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Which is probably why you're back is bothering you," Elliot pointed out. The rocking chair in the baby's room was comfortable but falling asleep in it, which Olivia had done frequently, wasn't such a good idea.

"You're probably right," she smirked.

"So Monday, is a big day," he quickly changed tack and she shook her head.

"Cragen says he's not letting me off desk duty unless he gets to babysit during my shift," Olivia chuckled.

"Well we did make him Charlotte godfather so I can see why he'd be like that," Elliot couldn't help but laugh.

"True but Munch says he gets her first and has no problem with desk duty," she shook her head.

"Well at least you'll be able to get some work done then," Elliot was still laughing.

"I guess I will. I just don't know if I want to bring her into the precinct every day," Olivia admitted.

"It's just until we get the babysitting thing figured out. You said you didn't want to leave Charlotte with some stranger and without Mrs. Juarez to help out anymore we need someone. My kids are busy during the day," Elliot pointed out.

"You're right, of course, but I don't want Charlotte exposed to what I do all day until she's old enough to understand why I do what I do. The less ugliness she has in her life the better," she sighed.

"I can understand that but you have a team of supportive people who will keep that away from her. Besides when she's old enough to go to daycare and then preschool and eventually regular school, you won't be spending as much time with her as you think," the sound of his own personal experience was coming through and Olivia could tell that he'd missed out on a lot with his kids because of the job. It had always been more than a job to Olivia but now there was something else in her life which took precedence.

"Ding Dong," the sound of the doorbell-like buzzer surprised them both at that hour. Elliot left Olivia in the baby's room before heading to the door and the intercom.

"Ding Dong," by now Calvin was up as he stumbled out of his room and into the hall.

"What gives?" He asked.

"I have no idea buddy," Elliot called back as he answered the buzzer before it rang a third time.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Is this the Stabler residence?" The unfamiliar voice came over the line.

"Who is this?" Elliot asked.

"I'm just a delivery boy sir. Do I have the right apartment?" The kid on the other end of the buzzer said.

"All right," Elliot buzzed him in despite thinking it odd for only eight in the morning on a weekend.

"What's up Dad?" Olivia asked as she walked out into the living room carrying the baby. She was making every effort to stop calling him El in front of the kids. Both should call him that whether they were biological children or not.

"I have no idea. Some sort of delivery boy," Elliot was half tempted to pull out his badge and his gun and scare the crap out of the person who came to the door but with baby Charlotte, he thought better of it.

A knock on the door, signaled that the person was there and he checked the peephole. He looked like a young kid with a large box and a handful of balloons.

"Can I help you?" Elliot asked as he opened the door.

"Sign here," the pimple faced kid said. He could not have been older than eighteen. Elliot quickly signed and then the kid said,

"Congratulations on receiving your bona fide Babyland baby gift, sir." With that the kid left and Elliot closed the door.

"Who is it from?" Olivia asked, incredibly curious, as Elliot slowly and carefully examined the box before removing the piece of paper from the shipping invoice envelope.

"It says 'To my loving son and his new bride. I hope that you can forgive me for not being there in person but I couldn't wait until I see you next week. Love, Mom. P.S. I knew you wouldn't be sleeping anyway so I had them deliver it first thing,' ", he said as he made his way to the couch. Olive, Charlotte, and Calvin quickly joined him.

"That's very thoughtful of your mother," Olivia smiled. Elliot had called her up to tell her about the birth of Charlotte the next morning after she had been delivered. His mother was ecstatic and promised to see them when she could. It wasn't a long trip from her home but she said that she didn't want to interfere with their new schedule since the baby was born. Elliot had been surprised but decided to take it all in stride.

"What'd Grandma Stabler send?" Calvin asked.

"Onesies, bibs, a pacifier, and something labeled Calvin," Elliot smirked.

"It's not a onesie is it?" The boy had a worried look on his face.

"I don't think they make them in your size," Olivia chuckled as Elliot handed over the small box that had been inside the other box. Calvin opened it and pulled out a t-shirt that had a large arrow on it pointing up. It read "I'm the big brother". Calvin laughed and Olivia couldn't help but smile.

"Your Mom thought of everything," she said.

"Yes, she did," Elliot chuckled.

"Anybody else smelling that?" Calvin asked suddenly. Charlotte cooed and gurgled.

"Gross," Calvin said.

"I've got it," Olivia shook her head as she laughed and walked away. Elliot carefully took the box of goodies and the balloons down to the baby's room and told Calvin he might as well get ready for the day while he made breakfast. They soon fell into their routine and the hustle and bustle of the day was not lost on Elliot as he could not stop thinking about how just a short while ago he had nowhere he could really call home. Now with Olivia, Calvin, and beautiful baby Charlotte, home was something that he had been missing.

"You still with me?" Olivia asked as he crawled into bed that night.

"Yeah, just thinking how fantastic my life is," he smirked.

"Fantastic huh? That's all you have to say?" She chuckled.

"No, I think I have one more thing to say," he paused as he positioned himself on top of her.

"Oh and from your precarious perch I think I can guess what that is," Olivia eyed him. He leaned in real close to her and said,

"Let's have another one or at least try." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows.

"Only if you're giving birth," she laughed and shoved him off before rolling on top of him. Going for the nightstand drawer, he knew what she was looking for.

"Oh so we're going to play that game?" Elliot looked hurt.

"You remember when I was screaming about how I wasn't ever going to let you touch me ever again?" Olivia asked.

"How could I forget?" He wanted to know.

"I've changed my mind," she smirked upon finding the one thing she needed. After all Friday she'd been cleared for just that kind of physical activity, he'd worked late and Olivia had been exhausted from running around with Charlotte. The need was great but just not for another member of the family.

"Yes ma'am," Elliot teased. He grabbed the little package out of her hand and rolled her over. Home was definitely where the heart was and right now both hearts in the room were beating crazily as they showed each other how much they loved one another.

**The End**


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